Writer’s Block: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

So guess what? I have writer’s block, and I’m going to try and talk about it in writing. I did a video on three different forms of writer’s block on YouTube, and I decided to dive in a bit further today. Check out the video below for my initial thoughts, then finish up with the rest of this post.

So, block number one. Laziness. Now, it can be argued this isn’t a block. It’s just a self control thing, and you’d be right. See, I’ve struggled with this one myself. I called it writer’s block when really it was just…I’ll write tomorrow. I’ll blog tomorrow. Always tomorrow. Let’s face it, if things don’t get done today, they don’t get done. So if you’re stuck in the tomorrow rut, sit down and write something. Or art something if art is your thing. Make a thing. Then the next day, make another thing

Then there’s number two. Ignorance. Now this isn’t ignorance as an insult, this is simply the state of not knowing. Sometimes this is not knowing the right technique. That’s when you get a craft book, read a writing blog, do some learning about how to write. Work to find the technique that will help you undo the block. Alternately, which I neglected in the video, you may be missing some facts or figures to make your writing work. Take a deeper look into your subject. Do some research. Eventually, you’ll find what you need to make the words go.

The last one is the toughest one to overcome. This is the emotional block. I am one of the creative writers that becomes emotionally invested in my work. This is not everyone, I know, but we exist. Sometimes, the emotions we invest in our art become disrupted. Usually this is due to a major life event. In my case, it was a divorce. My ex-husband and former writing partner asked for a divorce. I gave it to him. The aftermath disrupted me significantly. I lost my ability to write for a few months. This is part of the reason I haven’t been blogging. I haven’t known what to say.

The best way to overcome this block is by allowing yourself the time to feel, the time to grieve if that is necessary. Do not forget about your writing, but do not force yourself to write. Allow yourself to heal, and then continue writing the story you want to tell.